Apple Stores May Accept Old iPhones For Trade-In

Do you want an iPhone 5, but you still have a stupid old iPhone 4/4s? And do you only buy your iProducts at Apple stores? Well, your lucky day may be coming soon: Bloomberg News reports, Apple Inc. is starting an iPhone trade-in program this month aimed at getting users to upgrade to the iPhone 5 and turn in older models, people with knowledge of the plans said."

Apparently Apple is working with Brightstar, a mobile-phone distributor that already runs the trade-in programs at AT&T and T-Mobile. Bloomberg News points out there's "brisk demand for refurbished iPhone 4s and 4Ss in emerging markets. By offering money for older smartphones, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is seeking to entice consumers to upgrade to the latest models, part of the company’s efforts to reignite sales growth and combat declining shares." It's unknown how much Apple will offer for the old models, but AT&T offers as much as $200.

It's win-win for Apple: They get to sell more iPhone 5's and then the old, refurbished iPhone 4/4s models go to other regions the tech giant hopes to dominate. An analyst put it more bluntly, "The key is to get iPhones into as many people’s hands as possible. Selling used phones is one way to do that."